Drawing from a stellar back catalogue.
A surfing background readily lends itself to the ‘60s-inspired sounds the Sunnyboys aspired to during their formative years. Now the Sydney band, led by Jeremy and Peter Oxley, have reached 40 years since their inception.
It’s entirely appropriate that this release features the Boys’ first EP in its entirety, but also four other tracks cherry-picked from various points of the journey, reworked and laid down for posterity.
One can rock out to the mod-pop quality of the first four songs and recall summer days sucking on namesake ice cubes and dreaming to be “Alone with you, tonight”. This quartet of songs is a sterling way to whet the appetite and re-introduce the band.
It’s apparent why the Sunnyboys were considered hot property during their 1980s heyday. The songs are message songs and not the fairytale world of pirates and highway robbers so popular at the time.
Given the remaining four songs are from various other points of artistic endeavour, they are less cohesive. Yet a golden thread of melody prevails and remains a constant. ‘Can’t You Stop’, ‘Lovers (On Another Planets Hell)’ and ‘Strange Confession’ are songs of the meat and four veg variety – easily consumable for those summery evenings.
